James' 20G Build!

James_G

New member
There are some things I would have done differently If I could go back, but nothing major. Im in college so I just went with the basics, I pay for my own schooling so money is kinda tight. I cant wait untill I own a home so I can plumb a huge tank through the walls and really go all out.

Thats my dream anyway haha

Thanks for the kind words
 

rattyE36

New member
This thread makes me want to take my 20 long thats collecting dust and start another tank for a frog fish! Nice build!
 

James_G

New member
Thanks everyone! I will update later on tonight. I went to the CMAS swap yesterday and picked up a nice frag of some zoanthids. I also received a very generous donation of some small frags a couple weeks ago from a fellow member here on CR (thanks again!)
 

James_G

New member
Looking good. I thought water changes shouldn't be done until the tank had finally finished cycling. Am I wrong?


My first water change was after ammonia and nitrite stopped showing up for about a week. I guess I should have waited a little longer to see what the nitrate was going to do, but I was really excited and rushed it. I havent had any problems though and learned to slow down a bit.
 

James_G

New member
ok so here is a quick update..

I removed my damsel and gave him back to the lfs. While I was there a picked up a small McCoskers wrasse. This little guys has a ton of personality and I am very happy with my purchase, hes already eating a mix of different foods. Here are some pics.. The small frags you see were donated to me by a fellow CR member and the larger zoanthids frag was bought at the swap on saturday.






 

James_G

New member
I think my aquascaping lacks creativity.. Im going to try and change things around a little in the next few days.


Also, should I ditch the HOB filter and just go with the skimmer, powerhead and heater?

Will that work if I keep up on weekly waterchanges?
 

FishBeard

New member
I think my aquascaping lacks creativity.. Im going to try and change things around a little in the next few days.


Also, should I ditch the HOB filter and just go with the skimmer, powerhead and heater?

Will that work if I keep up on weekly waterchanges?
Scaping looks good for what you have to work with.

Keep the filter but just run a bag of chemipure elite in it instead of filter cartridges, will help tremendously.
 

FishBeard

New member
That's the stuff, get the smaller 6oz one for your size tank, just rinse under running water to remove any loose carbon that builds up from transport. Also, depending how large your HOB filter is, you can convert it into a mini fuge with a small submersible light bulb on an opposing light cycle to your display lights, and drop a handful of chaeto in there. If there is only enough room for one or the other, hanging the bag of chemi-pure in the filter would be the better choice since you are doing regular water changes and running a skimmer. Later when you upgrade (and you will, we all do) you can turn this tank into a fuge for the bigger tank to help with nutrient control.
 

James_G

New member
Just placed my order for three 6oz bags. Seems like a better idea than to buy those cartridges every few weeks. Do you use it?
 
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